Day 4821

I went to the storage warehouse today and brought home Petey's orthopedic dog bed and Dash's Help 'Em Up Harness. I could start a store with all the dog paraphernalia we've accumulated over the years. It comes in handy though. We're hoping that Dawn makes a full recovery but have no idea how long that's going to take. The x-ray results came back today and Dawn does have a bulging disc in her neck. This would explain some, but certainly not all of her symptoms. We've dealt with lots of illness and injuries before but this one is new. We still can't identify a cause. 

Dawn's problems just seemed to appear out of nowhere. What do a swollen neck and stumbling have in common? Hopefully the Help 'Em Up Harness will help keep Dawn from falling when we take her outside to do her business. She will stumble or collapse with no warning at all. A few minutes later she will seem normal again. The pain medication is helping keep Dawn calm, but we really need to figure out what is going on. We'll talk to the vet again tomorrow, but if there were any easy answers we'd probably already know them.

I missed my chance to search for leaks on the roof because it is supposed to start raining again later tonight. It wasn't a great day to attempt repairs anyway because I need the roof to be dry to apply the remaining Armor Flex. It was a grey day with a light mist in the air for most of the day. It was easy to convince myself that it wasn't worth the trouble to do anything.

I don't mind walking in a light mist so I took my long walk anyway. I didn't get as many steps today because there was no sunrise walk with Dawn, but I kept moving. The mist was so light that I didn't get very wet and it certainly kept things cooler. All in all, it was a good day for a walk. The weather has gotten so warm lately that it's hard to believe there will be another hard freeze. Stranger things have happened though. We've had some pretty heavy snowfalls in March. Let's hope that doesn't happen. I have enough problems without dealing with snow.

I backed another Kickstarter project this morning. You'd think I'd have learned my lesson after backing the Benro Polaris star tracker, but apparently not. Backing the Polaris project was several years filled with delays and frustration, but eventually I did receive the product and it has more or less lived up to expectations. Kickstarter backers usually get a much better price than what the new product will eventually retail for. There's always a risk though. The product may end up being a failure or never ship at all. At any rate, I may get a self leveling tripod someday.

I'm still not sure what I'm going to do in April. I haven't received any requests for help from the observatory, so maybe they don't need volunteers anymore. I hesitate to apply for credentials at Kennedy Space Center because we don't know what is going on with Dawn yet. If she's having trouble moving around, it's going to take both of us to help her. I'm not even sure I even want to go anywhere now. You've got to be in the mood.

Connor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3458

Janet and I temperament tested a dog this afternoon. I think I've already told you about Xander. He's got a good home if he gets along with other dogs. With the help of the kennel staff we introduced him to a variety of different dogs and he passed his test with flying colors. Some dogs tolerate other animals. Xander really seems to like them. He was curious, playful, and gentle with everyone we introduced him to. Now we just need to see if his potential companion is equally friendly. Xander is not dog aggressive. He doesn't appear to be food aggressive either. Somebody is going to get a wonderful companion and friend.

I went ahead and ordered tires today. The good news is that they will be here tomorrow. The bad news is that since they were a special order, I had to pay for them in advance. At least these tires weren't as expensive as the OEM tires that came with the car. I was glad to hear that they'd been discontinued and replaced with a more reasonably priced tire. Keep in mind that 'reasonably priced' is a relative term when it comes to Land Rover parts. In my experience absolutely nothing has been reasonably priced.

It was weird to be working again. I finished my client's website updates this morning and uploaded the changes to the server. Amazingly, I remembered the client's old passwords and remembered most of the HTML code I needed. It takes a little longer to do this stuff if you don't do it every day, but I guess I passed my temperament test as well. Could it be that coding is like riding a bicycle? I might remember some of what I know forever. At any rate, I think I did a good job. Hopefully, the client will agree.

I took the money I made selling the guitars to the bank. It won't stay there long. My homeowner's insurance is due, I just had a large tree removed, and then there are those pesky Land Rover tires. Everything is so expensive now. I still have prices in my head from the 1970's. Unfortunately those days are gone. I think my favorite year was 1969. It definitely isn't 2019.

I saw a Purple Passionflower today. I haven't seen one of these bloom in years because they grow in a section of the park that wasn't accessible to Dot and Dash after they became sick. As the dogs became older and less mobile, we had to limit our walks to safe, relatively flat areas where they wouldn't fall. Walking was more difficult for me as well, since I was holding up their rear legs using the Help 'Em Up Harness. I've started walking the old trails again. They bring back memories. We'll see how long this lasts. My feet are telling me that I'm going to need a Help 'Em Up Harness myself some day.

This week went amazingly fast, considering that we spent most of it without electricity. Janet and I stayed surprisingly busy during the power outage. Even though we both seem to have good survival skills, I'm glad the power is back. I'm certainly sleeping better now. Everything is more or less back on schedule. I just finished taking the week's trash out to the curb. I hope the trash truck can find everybody's cans. They look insignificant next to the huge piles of tree branches and logs stacked along the street.

Marcie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3381

The vet called me back and said that the warnings I'd read about Clindamycin were mainly intended for people and that dogs tolerated the drug well. That's good to know. Dash is still going to need some sort of an antibiotic for his mouth. A friend suggested feeding Dash a cod and sweet potato recipe her vet recommended to cure his diarrhea problem. That's good to know too. She even gave us a sample for Dash to try. The meal she fixed looked delicious. We'll see how our picky eater responds.

There were no accidents in the house last night. I had to take Dash outside around 2 AM to pee, but he slept pretty good for the rest of the night. I actually got some sleep as well. I wish I could count on nights like these, but I've learned you really can't. Every day is different. If there was a formula that worked, I'd have it memorized by now. I'm happy when Dash has a good walk and eats his food. I'm worried when he stumbles a lot and wakes up during the night with a bad cough. Often I'm pleased and worried at the same time.

One of Dash's vets called to ask if we had any recommendations for dog boots. I guess we've inadvertently become the dog boot experts. I was kind of amazed at the detailed knowledge I had about just about every brand of dog boot and sock. I recommended a few brands and told him about the benefits of multiple layers and how to repair boots when they became worn. I hope the information was useful. I think we've done a pretty good job of protecting Dash's feet. He definitely wouldn't be able to walk far without the boots.

My taxes are done. I signed an amended return today and shifted some money around so I'll be able to pay the IRS. I'm curious what makes electronic signatures official. They certainly don't look very official, but that's what everyone is using these days. I haven't signed a paper document in a long time. Forms for just about everything are completed online now. If you didn't have a computer in today's world, you would be at a serious disadvantage.

Just about everyone on Google+ is saying goodbye now. In less than a week the platform will be gone. It's remarkable how many things I like disappear. It doesn't matter if it is a furniture store, a brand of clothing, or an Internet platform; if I'm fond of something, it's a pretty good bet that the general public won't be. Maybe I'll go back to Usenet. Amazingly, Usenet is still around after all these years. For a writer, text based forums are just fine. I never missed not being able to share pictures anyway. Usenet worked just fine on a 300 baud dial up connection. Try that with Facebook.

I'm going to have to go out this weekend and take pictures of wildflowers. They're starting to bloom. It's become just about impossible to take pictures while I'm walking Dash. I've got a leash in each hand. There's one for the front part of the Help 'Em Up Harness, and another for the rear. It's a full time job to keep Dash upright. I couldn't even get my phone out of my pocket today. When worse comes to worse, there are always houseplants. There are definitely no orchids growing in the park.

The trash has been taken to the curb, Dash has taken his evening meds, and I'm ready for bed. I've got to think about what I want for breakfast tomorrow.

Doc is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3376

It has become so obvious Dash is old and tired that people are stopping me on our walks to tell me stories about their old dogs. Every week I hear about dogs that have recently passed away or are having difficulty walking. Despite all the stories, we see very few other older dogs on our walks. When the weather is bad, Dash is often the only dog walking at all. I feel sorry for the old dogs who just get a towel under their belly occasionally to help them go out in the yard and pee. With a little help, a lot of these dogs could still lead a relatively normal life.

I don't think Dash even realizes that I am helping him walk. He can still move his legs. He just isn't strong enough to fully support his own weight. I can feel his legs moving through the leash. I provide just enough support to keep him from sinking, while letting his legs move naturally. It took three dogs to perfect the technique, but I think I've gotten pretty good at walking disabled dogs.

One thing I can't do is give Dash more energy or help him think clearly. He's starting to become senile and sometimes appears lost or confused on our walks. You wonder when senility becomes dementia and if dementia can turn into Alzheimer's? When Dash's mind goes blank, you've just got to be patient. Eventually he clicks into gear again and off we go. I think being outside helps. Dogs have such an amazing sense of smell that the abundant smells in the park reconnect him to the world. I think he could take his walks blindfolded because he's really just moving from one smell to the next. The smells are a trail of breadcrumbs that take him away and then bring him back home.

My accountant called today to let me know that he had some preliminary results on my taxes. I was really disappointed to learn that despite my paltry earnings this year, I still owed money to the IRS. I think old people get screwed. Your social security gets taxed as income. Required distributions from your IRA account are taxed as income. If you planned ahead and managed to save something, your dividends and interest are taxed as well. It's ironic that when my business was booming I paid less in taxes than I do now. When you have lots of clients, there are lots of business expenses you can deduct. It goes without saying that without clients or business activity, there are very few expenses  either.

It rained again today. I'm glad that Dash still got to take his walks. I'm not so glad about going up on the roof again. I'll wait until the forecast clears, but the key to keeping the leaks at bay is getting the standing water removed as soon as possible. The pumps help, but I've always got to go up on the roof and finish the job. I'm surprised that I still haven't gotten any bids to replace the roof.  Apparently I'm not a priority. The same thing happened the first time I put a new roof on the house. Since the house is small, roofers are always more interested in larger and more lucrative projects.

I should go to the gym tomorrow since I missed my workout last week. I'm not getting much exercise walking Dash. I guess my arms are getting stronger but the walks certainly don't provide much of a cardio workout. We move at a snail's pace these days. I doubt that my heart rate changes at all.

Ariel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3374

My goal is to accomplish at least one thing every day. It doesn't really matter what that thing is as long as it doesn't involve cleaning up dog poop. Today I defrosted the little refrigerator. I bought the little refrigerator when we were having problems with the big refrigerator. It was only meant to be temporary. Somehow, it has always remained full even though the big refrigerator was repaired months ago. I think these little refrigerators are meant for dorm rooms or vacation cabins. Very few of them have an automatic defrost cycle. You have to defrost them manually. At any rate, I should have put defrosting this thing on my to-do list several months ago. There was a massive amount of ice inside. I'm surprised the refrigerator still worked.

Mindless little tasks like this eat up my entire day. Sometimes I think it would be easier to just live in a hotel. You could eat in the hotel restaurant and the maid would clean up your room every day. The refrigerator is good to go for another several months, but of course the dog poop problem remains. I forgot to put a puppy pad under Dash while he was taking a nap on the bed this morning and he pooped while he was trying to get up. I had to clean Dash, clean his harness, and clean the blankets he soiled. We have a spare Help 'Em Up Harness for occasions like these. We have lots of spare dog blankets too. I never realized that a washing machine with a super hot sanitize setting would be so useful. I use this setting almost every day.

I wasted a lot of time last night trying to share yesterday's blog post to Facebook. Usually Facebook includes a preview picture with the link, but the preview picture refused to load. You know how I am about consistency. I wanted the link to look exactly like all the other links. It wasn't going to happen. The preview function was broken. I tried to approximate the look of the link manually, but it didn't look the same. Why did this even bother me? Probably for the same reason that the demise of Google+ bothers me. Writing the blog has become a part of my daily routine and I hate surprises. I missed Perry Mason last night because I kept trying to change the way I was sharing the link. Nothing worked. I should have known that it is futile to try to outwit Facebook.

I'm having trouble figuring out why Dash appears weaker too. He's still eating well. There have been no vestibular incidents in a long time. There are no obvious injuries. His last medical exam was actually very encouraging. Dash should be getting stronger, but he's not. That's the sad thing about aging. It's a one way street.

This week went quickly. Nothing really happened, but I was always busy. It takes so long to get small things done these days that I wonder how I used to get big things done. Where did I ever find the time to create ad campaigns, write lengthy annual reports, and design complex websites? These days making the bed can be a challenge.

I'm looking forward to going out for breakfast tomorrow morning. It's not that I'm all that hungry. I just need to get out of the house for a while.

Big Boy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3368

Breakfast almost turned into lunch today. Dash stumbled a lot on his morning walk. He peed in the house twice. He wouldn't eat his breakfast. And then he kept trying to get on the bed as I was trying to leave. We can't leave Dash unattended on the bed anymore. He has trouble getting up on his own and there's a risk that he will fall off and hurt himself. It made Dash mad to go to his safe place. I knew he was tired, so I stayed with him until he calmed down and went to sleep. I don't blame Dash for being frustrated. I'm sure he just wants to be a young dog again. Don't we all.

Needless to say, I was a little late in getting started today. Why was the restaurant full at this time of day? I was amazed that so many people were eating breakfast at 11 AM. This was a work day too. I'm amazed at a lot these days. So much has changed in the world and most of the changes make no sense to me. I was curious why all these people were eating so late. They couldn't all have a sick dog at home. As usual, I was probably the only one out of sync. As I was leaving, I noticed that I was the only person in the entire place that was eating alone.

There were more bills to pay today. It seems like there were always bills to pay. I guess I could set up auto-pay so I wouldn't have to keep making constant trips to the post office but I'm afraid that I could easily lose track of things. When I'm paying bills manually, at least I'm aware when companies raise their prices and start charging me more. Everybody follows the same formula. They offer an attractive introductory rate to get your business and hope you forget that the offer is temporary. As soon as the introductory period runs out, rates jump dramatically.

Although it was cold this morning, the day turned out nicely. By the time we took our afternoon walk, the weather was beautiful. I'm starting to see early wildflowers, but it's hard to photograph them while I'm walking Dash. He stumbled even more on his afternoon walk than he did this morning. I did a good job of keeping him from falling, but it can be difficult walking a dog with two leashes. I feel like a puppeteer sometimes. There is a leash at the neck and another at his tail. I keep each leash taunt while still allowing Dash to walk as naturally as he can. When I feel him start to stumble, I pull up on the appropriate leash to keep him upright. The special Help 'Em Up Harness make this all possible. Walking is a team effort now, but it's worth it. If you have a dog with mobility problems, it makes a huge difference if you can find a way to let them move around normally.

Google+ is going away very soon. I get daily messages urging me to back up my data before everything disappears. I wonder why I still post every day if everything is going away. It's kind of sad. Google+ was the only social network I actually liked. I never really understood Twitter. Hashtags and 140 character messages were never my cup of tea. My Facebook timeline is mostly just a bunch of dog pictures. There's nothing wrong with dog pictures, but I actually learned lots of new stuff reading Google+ in the early days. All I'm learning now is that Google is terrible at keeping promises.

One of my back up UPS boxes has a bad battery again. This is an older Uninterrupted Power Supply and I think I've already replaced the batteries before. I'll drop it off at the repair shop tomorrow when I go grocery shopping. I feel sorry for people who have bought an electric car. They haven't owned these cars long enough to realize how evil batteries can be. They always go bad and usually at the worst possible time. I think I'd much rather replace a fuel pump or a head gasket than to replace all the batteries in a Tesla. I really wish everything just worked perfectly forever, but that's not going to happen.

Carmine is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3358

It was much nicer today. I could almost overlook the fact that it was 23 degrees this morning because the sun was shining and there wasn't much of a wind. Of course Dash wanted a walk. It takes a while to get him suited up on cold days. We try to put his socks and boots on before he gets up because it much easier to fit these things while he is still lying down. When he gets up we take off his harness so he can wear a warm sweater underneath. Then we attach the Help 'Em Up Harness again, trying to make sure that Dash doesn't fall down in the process. On really cold days he also wears his hat. You may think this is overkill, but everything fits well and when Dash came home this morning, he wasn't shivering.

Long walks were the order of the day. There wasn't much else to do. I think Dash and I were both ready to get outside. Without writing and website design jobs to keep me busy, my days can get pretty long. If Dash were young and healthy, I could walk for hours in the park. Walking is a great way to daydream and kill time.

The muddy area on top of the sewer pipe still seems to be drying up, so I canceled the plumbing appointment that I postponed yesterday. Plumbers are expensive and I'd hate to tear up the yard and spend a lot of money just to discover that the pipe was fine and I was dealing with a drainage problem instead. We have had a lot of rain lately. I think I'll wait until we get some dry weather and then see what the yard looks like. I can always call the plumber back.

When I was busy with work, I also seemed to have lots of hobbies. I collected things. I taught myself to repair watches. I played in a rock band for a while. I convinced myself that I was an artist and had several gallery shows. Now that I have all the time in the world, nothing interests me. Most of the watches aren't running anymore and I don't even care. I tried to resume playing the piano and took online lessons for a month or two, but quickly became bored and my keyboard is now gathering dust. We have Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime and I'm not even interested in watching movies. This is all very curious. I wonder how this happened? I'm not depressed. I don't think I'm avoiding things because when something needs to get done, I still take care of the problem quickly and efficiently. Some people are motivated by desire. I must have always been motivated by deadlines. Without a deadline to meet I'm alarmingly content to do nothing.

I'll probably do nothing tomorrow. A roofer may come over to give me an estimate on a new roof. Since he's a roofer, he may not come at all though. We'll see. On Thursday we take Dash to the cancer center again for one of his periodic echocardiograms. Against all odds, I think Dash's condition has actually gotten better since we saw these doctors two months ago. He's eating better and seems to have more energy. He even got up on the bed by himself today. The little guy is pretty amazing. We were warned that Dash was living on borrowed time over two years ago and he's still with us today. He seems happy too. Maybe doing nothing is the secret to a long life. Dash has perfected doing nothing. He sleeps all day and when he's active he's mostly interested in smelling other dog's poop in the park. I think he's a good role model.

Rory is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3339 - Valentine's Day

Traditions die hard. I continue getting cupcakes at Sprinkles and a small orchid in a pot every Valentine's Day. I've been doing this for years even though we seldom eat sweets. I used to have to stand in a long line that snaked outside the store to get my cupcakes but Sprinkles isn't as trendy as it was five of six years ago. The line was very short today, but the cupcakes are still delicious. I used to be able to keep the orchids alive for several seasons. They would bloom again and again. Now they always die after a month or two. The orchids are definitely cheaper than they used to be though. Maybe there's a correlation. Sprinkles makes cupcakes for dogs too. I always get a few, while wondering if they are really safe. Dogs aren't supposed to have sugar, but I wouldn't be surprised if these weren't just small human cupcakes. Hopefully the frosting is just cream cheese or something.

Dash has gotten more enthusiastic about his daily walks. I hope this is a sign that he is feeling better. Something has changed. On most days he doesn't need to follow Janet anymore. This morning he confidently headed out the back gate on his own and I completed the entire walk by myself. It doesn't always go this smoothly, but Dash definitely does seem in better spirits. We stopped wearing the leg brace when Dash started using the Help 'Em Up Harness. It was difficult to attach the brace to the new harness and Dash was walking so slow that it didn't seem to matter anyway. I wonder if it is easier for him to walk without the brace? The whole idea of the knee brace was to keep a partial cruciate tear from becoming worse. We thought the brace would make it easier for Dash to walk, but maybe it did the opposite. Caring for a sick dog is always a learning experience. Occasionally, Dash ends up being the teacher.

I wonder if I am going to be perpetually tired. It certainly seems that way. This morning Janet woke me up and said that Dash looked like he was ready to walk. You hate to miss these opportunities, so I quickly got dressed and off we went. By the time we returned, it was much too late to go back to bed again. I slowly drank my morning smoothie, stopping from time to time to clean up poop. Dash has plenty of time to poop on these long meandering walks, but he often waits until he's home again to do his business. He doesn't do this on purpose. An incontinent dog just isn't able to plan ahead.

I had to turn the air conditioner on this afternoon. The temperature was in the high 70's today. A few weeks ago it was below freezing. I've given up on predicting Texas weather. I've often worn a t-shirt and shorts in the same week I've needed my warmest down parka. I check the weather app on my phone every morning before we take our walk, but even that isn't always helpful. Sometimes it seems like it's ten degrees colder down by the lake than it is in our back yard. Basically, you can end up wearing Summer clothes in the Winter in Texas, but you never end up wearing Winter clothes in the Summer.

I didn't really think Galentine's Day was a thing until I saw a whole row of special "Galentine's" cupcakes in Sprinkles today. I wonder if these were day old cupcakes? I think Galentine's Day was yesterday. It seems weird to me when made up holidays from old TV sitcoms become real and start being celebrated. It happened with Festivus too. Maybe in the future all our holidays will originate on TV shows.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3337

I had trouble getting back to sleep after I took Dash outside last night, so instead of counting sheep, I tried to remember all the ad agencies I'd worked at in the correct order. This was surprisingly difficult. The first three agencies were easy. So were the last four. The ones in the middle were a muddled mess though. I guess my memory lapse is understandable. I worked at seventeen ad agencies before starting my own company. I eventually fell asleep, but I still have no idea where I worked before I went to Popejoy & Fischel. I can't remember who Popejoy was either.

It was nice to see the sun again. The temperature was warmer too. Dash thought is was a nice day as well. For the first time since his severe diarrhea episode, we were able to take two walks again. Dash still isn't walking normally and probably never will, but he has quickly learned how to use the Help 'Em Up Harness. I basically provide just enough support to keep him from slipping. Dash is still moving his legs on his own. If you have a dog with mobility problems I can't recommend these harnesses enough. They really help.

It was time to vacuum again. Actually it was long past time. There has always been a ton of dog hair in the house, but lately I'm finding Dash's food all over the place. He's having trouble chewing now and food just falls out of his mouth. There are dog biscuit crumbs and little bits of chicken and rice all over the place. Dash's teeth and gums are terrible now, but it is not safe to anesthetize him anymore, so a regular dental cleaning is impossible. I swab his mouth every day with an oral dental rinse and we try to brush his teeth, but it's a losing battle.

Since it was clear and warm this afternoon, I went up on the roof and removed the remaining water. The pumps actually did a pretty good job during the rain. There wasn't as much standing water as I anticipated. I had the entire job finished in less than thirty minutes. The forecast looks good for the immediate future, so maybe I can stay off the roof for a while.

I was happy to see the stock market rebound today. It's unsettling at times that I need to depend on this increasingly volatile market. When I was younger I never gave the stock market a lot of thought. If I needed money, I knew I could always go earn more. Not so easy these days. My skill set has become largely irrelevant. At least I believed in saving when I was younger. Some of my friends didn't. We'll see what the future brings. Somehow I don't think it's going to bring a guaranteed return on my investments. I see a very bumpy road ahead.

A roof panel blew off the greenhouse again last night. Jeez. I thought I'd already fixed that. Apparently, I'm not a very good carpenter.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3335

I was watching the Grammy's while I was eating dinner tonight and once again I hardly recognized anybody. Who are these people? When I watch award shows these days the only stars that seem familiar are the ones featured in the annual "in memoriam" montage. I hear my music in elevators now. I find those Time Life Presents the 60's infomercials strangely compelling. Maybe Richard Marx said it best when he Tweeted "Went to the dentist today. My teeth are fine. Just wanted to hear some of my songs."

We got quite a bit of rain last night and the roof still hasn't leaked. Will wonders ever cease? One of the pumps didn't seem to be working, so I went up to investigate after I got back from the gym this afternoon. Sure enough, the pump had tipped over again. There was so much standing water on the roof that I felt compelled to remove it, even though I'd already had a pretty good workout. I probably should have waited. There is more rain in the forecast for tomorrow.

Dash woke me up several times last night, but he must have gotten more sleep than I did. Even though it was a nasty, cold day, he still wanted a walk this morning. It must have been the Metronidazole pills that caused all the problems with mobility. Dash was probably weak from the severe diarrhea too. At any rate, now that the pills are out of his system, we are back to what we now consider normal. Dash is still shaky and tends to fall when unsupported, but he can move again and loves to take a slow meandering walk every day. It helps that he has accepted the Help 'Em Up Harness. He even wears it to bed now.

Maybe I have a mild cold instead of allergies. When I was at the gym today, I noticed that my heart rate was more elevated than usual. I was also sweating more while doing exactly the same routines that I've always done. Was I just tired and working harder to accomplish the same results, or were the antihistamines messing with me? Who knows. I've had seasonal allergies as long as I can remember, but they've never started this early or lasted this long. I'm getting tired of this.

I was going to vacuum today but I ran out of energy. Enough is enough. I'm sure the dust will wait. I decided to take a nap with Dash after I removed the water from the roof. Unfortunately, the nap wasn't enough. I wonder if I'll ever get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep again. Probably not. Maybe I should just settle for four hours and night and four hours during the day?

The rain is supposed to continue tomorrow. So far, we've been able to squeeze in a morning walk before things get too wet but our luck may have run out. The forecast says that the rain will resume tonight and continue through the morning. Rain or shine, life goes on. I've got a new supply of fresh berries for my morning smoothie. I've got a new box of puppy pads to catch Dash's poop. I've got plenty of antihistamines. I think I'm ready for a new week.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3334

I'm still looking for a better way to protect the bed at night, so I stopped at an army surplus store while I was out grocery shopping this morning. I thought they might have a small canvas tarp I could use. I was amazed at how crowded the place was. The store was packed with people wearing camo jackets buying all manner of knives, survival food, and cheap socks. You folks getting all excited about AOC's Green New Deal ought to visit an army surplus store first. Your revolution isn't happening. I have a feeling that there are going to be methane farting cows supplying McDonald's burgers for folks who love their F-250 Super Duty pickups long after your vegan, solar powered future is forgotten.

I found a tarp that was the right size, but I didn't buy it. For starters it was much more expensive than the much lighter tarps at REI. Then there was a big sign that said "For Outdoor Use Only." When I asked what that meant, I was told that the canvas tarp was waterproofed using a wax coating. OK. Was the wax toxic or something? The more I thought about a wax coated tarp on the bed, it didn't sound like such a good idea. I may come back for some of those cheap socks though.

I'm glad that Dash felt like walking earlier today. By the time we returned and finished eating breakfast, it was already raining. The cold rain continued throughout the day. The roof still isn't leaking, so I'm cautiously optimistic that the roofing crew found the problem. As much as I hate rain, I guess I still prefer it to snow. I can't believe all the snow they are getting in Seattle right now. I used to live in Seattle when I was younger and it never snowed.

Dash continues to amaze me. He's like the Energizer Bunny of old sick dogs. Even though he poops on the bed, has weird shaking and shivering spells, and can barely stand up at times, he still manages to save enough energy for his daily walk and is always nearby to beg for treats at dinnertime. Dash has adapted fairly well to using the Help 'Em Up Harness and lets us use it to help him on the bed at night and steady him while he is eating or drinking water. He needs a lot more rest now, but so do I. We're all getting older.

The Double-Crested Cormorants in the park seem to love terrible weather. We see them every Winter, but when nice weather returns, the birds are gone. I just wish the rain was gone. Unless things dry out a bit, I may not go to the gym tomorrow. I wish I enjoyed binge watching movies more, because Sunday looks like a good day for it. We'll see what tomorrow looks like. Sometimes cabin fever overcomes by distain for rain. I may be forced to go to the gym.

Jazz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3332

Our weather is getting ridiculous. The temperature keeps fluctuating wildly. For the past several days we've been using the furnace and the air conditioner on the same day. Yesterday was mild, but a line of thunderstorms blew through town last night and brought Winter back. It was bitterly cold this morning.

Dash stumbled around after he woke up and was reluctant to eat his breakfast, so I thought this would be a good day to rest and recuperate. I didn't want to go outside anyway since a brisk wind made the chilly temperatures seem even colder. Dash had other ideas. After a long morning nap, he finished his breakfast and went outside to pee. Instead of coming back inside, he headed straight for the back gate. The crazy dog wanted a walk. I quickly put on his Help 'Em Up Harness and boots before he could change his mind and off we went. I thought that Dash would quickly tire and we'd be back in the house within a few minutes, but Dash just kept going. He was surprisingly strong this morning. Walks are a little different now. I need two leashes: one at the front and the other at the back. The rear leash is the important one, since I use it to control the amount of weight reaching Dash's rear legs. Slowly but surely the marionette skills I developed while walking Dot during her final year are coming back. Actually, Dash didn't need a lot of help today. He was a trooper.

It is a complete mystery to me how Dash can go from being unable to stand up to walking over a mile in freezing weather within a three hour time span. He really seemed to enjoy his walk today, even though I couldn't wait to get back inside again. I wasn't surprised that Dash was exhausted when we returned. He slept for most of the afternoon, but when he woke up again he seemed fine.

Other than our adventurous and somewhat baffling walk, today was very slow. I went to the vet and picked up some meds for Dash while he was sleeping and spent the rest of the day wandering around the house trying to stay warm. The furnace is working well this year, but I'm always cold in the Winter. Wool sweaters and down camping booties are de rigueur around here.

I've decided that antihistamines are the lesser of two evils. I feel slightly unnatural while taking them, but the background buzz in my head is still a lot better than blowing my nose every two minutes. I haven't really had much of a problem today. Maybe I'm getting used to the Allegra.

It's sad to see Google+ wither and die. There have been fewer and fewer posts and virtually nothing of quality since Google announced that it was shutting the place down. This used to be my go to place for up-to-date information about science and technology. I'd routinely find interesting things on Google+ that you'd never see on Facebook. The place is a ghost town now. I'll probably keep posting till the last day though. That's just how I am.

It remains to be seen whether I'll go out for breakfast tomorrow. It depends on how Dash is doing. If he's agitated, I'll stay home and watch him. If he's calm and sleeping, I'll go have breakfast at the hotel again. I think I've had enough of the trendy restaurant for a while.

Stortz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3330

I spent the day trying to come up with a plan B for Dash. The dog can barely move, but he certainly hasn't given up. I've seen dogs go downhill very quickly when they become immobile so Janet and I were determined to give him some options. Dogs can become depressed as easily as humans. As long as we can keep Dash happy and engaged, I think he's still got some quality time.

The first step was making sure that his new Help 'Em Up Harness was adjusted correctly. It's surprisingly difficult to get all the adjustable straps the correct length when your dog keeps wanting to lie down. A properly fitted harness can make a big difference. After he'd had a long nap I started practicing walking Dash around the house with the harness. It took a while, but Dash eventually started to get the hang of things. With just the right amount of support, he began moving his rear legs again.

Janet found some extra light weight boots and after another nap, we thought we'd try a short walk. We didn't walk far, but things went better than I expected. Dash loves smelling things in the park and I could tell he was eager to walk. You have to move slowly and carefully, always making sure that his rear legs are moving along with the font ones. Dash's rear legs also have a tendency to become crisscrossed. The lightweight boots seemed to make it a little easier for Dash to move, but we'll have to replace them after almost every walk. One of the boots had a hole in the toe after a single walk. Dash's paws didn't bleed though, so this just might work.

I'm still considering water therapy, but given a choice, I'm sure that Dash would much rather smell things in the park. Dash hates water and doesn't like riding in the car, so if we can figure out how to keep him walking, he's going to be a happier dog. Knowing when to quit is critical. It's important to keep Dash moving, but it is equally important that he doesn't become exhausted. We'll have good days and bad days, but considering that yesterday I thought that he might never walk again, today was pretty good.

My first batch of auctions has concluded. I received my final payment today. One thing I learned is that it is impossible to predict what is going to be popular fifty years in the future. I never bought art as an investment. I just bought things that made me happy. A lot of these things ended up being practically worthless, but a few pieces became desirable. Back in the day, I never would have guessed what the people of 2019 would be wanting. I wish I'd bought more art back in the 1970's, but of course I had no money back then. That's always the way it works.

Thanks to my Facebook friends for suggesting a decongestant that doesn't make me feel horrible. The runny nose hasn't stopped entirely, but it is much better. For the record, Allegra seems to work a lot better than Sudafed.

Zorro is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3329

I knew this day would come. Dash couldn't walk today. I would lift him up and get him started and then he would just slump to the ground again. His rear legs weren't working at all. I finished fitting him for his Help 'Em Up Harness, but training him to use it isn't going to be easy. If I take too much weight off his rear legs they go limp. If I don't hold on to the rear handle of the harness at all, he falls. I have to provide just enough support that it gives him confidence to walk, but not lift too much or the harness will start to cut off circulation. Dot got to where she would walk almost normally using the Help 'Em Up Harness, but she was always a quick learner. It's going to take some time to get Dash used to this thing.

We'll probably never know if the Metronidazole pills contributed to Dash's current lameness. The vets don't think Dash was taking the pills long enough to cause a problem, but you never know. Weakness is a well known side effect of Metronidazole. I'm still hoping that Dash will gradually regain some of his strength. He's always going to remain weak, but it will make a huge difference if he is able to walk around the house on his own.

The guys who are fixing my Aeron Chair contacted me today and told me that they broke the pneumatic cylinder that controls the height of the chair when they were installing the new tilt mechanism they ordered for me. They said that they would replace the pneumatic cylinder at their cost, but that it would take a while to get the part. I don't think I'll get the chair back until late February. Hey, take your time guys. If we continue at this rate, I might end up with a whole new chair.

Dash got no walks at all today. We tried a short evening walk, but Dash wasn't comfortable with the new Help 'Em Up Harness yet and started dragging his rear legs. We didn't even make it out of the back yard. I'm going to enquire and see if Dash still might benefit from water therapy. This has always been a long shot since Dash hates water, is incontinent, and is a terrible passenger in the car. The underwater treadmill sure helped Dot though, so maybe it's worth a try. Being very weak is one thing. Not being able to walk at all is another. We've got to do everything we can to see if we can get him moving again.

I'm getting so tired of having a continually runny nose. I think I'm just suffering from a bad case of seasonal allergies because I don't have any other symptoms of a cold. Generally, I don't do well with antihistamines, but I went to CVS anyway planning to get some. I'm tired of blowing my nose every five minutes. There was an entire row of antihistamines with dozens of different brands. Some pills made you sleepy and had warnings about driving while taking them. Others warned of liver damage. Almost every pill had some weird side effect and I eventually walked away getting nothing. Seasonal allergies tend to be even worse in the Spring, so I have no idea how long this will last.

There was a beautiful sunset this evening, but I missed it. All I managed to photograph today was an angry Mockingbird in the back yard.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3328 - Superbowl Sunday

I guess I expected the Patriots to win today. It was almost inevitable. What I didn't expect was that this year's Superbowl commercials would be even worse than last year. I've spent most of my adult life in advertising and I never thought I'd see the day when we collectively lost our sense of humor. Superbowl commercials used to be hilarious but today's batch were no laughing matter. Have the bright young creatives who made these commercials forgotten how to laugh? Everything was so serious this year. The commercials were all about social justice and saving the planet. Even my favorite commercial featuring a good looking Dalmatian with her ears flapping in the wind was all about using wind power to brew beer. Where are the companies who are willing to poke fun at themselves and make people laugh?  I think everyone was playing it safe this year. Humor can be controversial and nobody wanted to risk being politically incorrect. It's sad that we've come to this. I don't think shows like Seinfeld and All in the Family could even get on the air anymore.

I was really hoping that the Rams would win today's game, but it wasn't meant to be. Jared Goff got knocked around so much by the Pats that I was amazed he finished the game. At least our Superbowl meal was a winner. I picked up some pork ribs from my favorite barbecue place on my way home from the gym. They were delicious. The people waiting for the pit-master to get their order ready weren't exactly a testimonial for eating smoked meats. They were overweight, looked to be in poor health, and one guy was pushing a walker. Maybe this is why I save barbecue for special occasions. I know the difference between "good for you" and "good with a beer," but I still think that few things can top well prepared brisket and ribs.

Dash felt a little better today. The diarrhea is gone and he is pooping normally again. Keep in mind that "normal" for Dash still means pooping in the house, but at least his poop isn't a liquid mess anymore. We discontinued the Metronidazole because it seems to be making him even weaker and more confused than he usually is. Hopefully, when the medicine gets out of his system he won't be quite so shaky on his feet. He was still pretty weak today, but we think we are seeing some improvement.

It's time to fit Dash for his Help 'Em Up Harness. It's becoming too difficult to keep him upright on walks using the Ruffwear harness. The fitting was more difficult than I thought, because Dash can't stand upright on his own for very long. The Help 'Em Up Harness comes in male and female versions, but I'm not sure how well the male rear section of the harness will work with Dash. Due to the way he normally pees, I could end up washing the thing every day. I've got the front section of the harness sized correctlly now, but the rear section still needs some work.

None of my trains sold in January. This was disappointing. My friend who is helping me sell the collection says the market for collectibles isn't what it used to be. I'm not surprised. Few people younger than me probably even know what a train is.

Casey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3181

I just noticed that I've been listening to the same music over and over again at the gym. The repetitive nature of the gym's playlist wasn't readily apparent because it seems like I'm hearing a very long tape loop. I've been going to the gym long enough that I finally noticed that all the songs were always in the same order and that the list would eventually repeat. Maybe there is more to this. The people I see at the gym are always the same too and they keep doing the same exercises. I usually have the same dreams over and over and over again as well. Maybe folks like Neil deGrasse Tyson and Elon Musk are right. What if we are all living in a simulation? If serious people actually think that the universe is just an advanced civilization's version of The Matrix, it tells me one thing. It tells me that we don't really know much about anything.

Yesterday, when I was looking through the auction catalog, a photo by Laura Gilpin caught my eye. I recognized the building. Recognizing a building in a photo isn't a big deal, but this building doesn't exist anymore. It was the old saloon in Gothic Colorado. Gothic is a ghost town and I used to play in these crumbling abandoned buildings when I was a child. Our family spend summers living in an old miner's cabin in this ghost town during the late 1950's. The photo brought back a surprising number of memories, considering how young I was at the time. Simulation or not, I'll have to admit that I've had a pretty interesting life.

Dash had a bad fall while I was taking him out to pee early this morning. He slipped on the brick floor and all four legs splayed out. He couldn't get up and I was worried that he might have broken something. I lifted him up and kept him steady until he could get his bearings again. The mishap scared him and I wasn't terribly surprised that he pooped on the floor. After holding him for a few minutes, he began to take a few tentative steps. Five minutes later, he seemed back to normal. Normal for Dash means that he can stand up. It doesn't mean that he is very strong. It's just about time for Dash to start wearing the Help 'Em Up Harness like Dot did during the last years of her life. With the harness on, I'll be better able to keep him from falling.

Despite getting off to a very shaky start, it wasn't a bad day. I did see some blue sky peeking through the clouds. The weather was cool and brisk and after a rest, Dash was still eager to take his morning walk. We were really slow today, but I could tell that Dash enjoyed smelling things in the wet grass.

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and Dash has a vet appointment on Tuesday. This is all it takes these days for me to think it's going to be a busy week. I hope Dash stays strong. He worries me a lot these days. At least he's eating well again. That's always a good sign. I need to start eating well myself. I've got to stop snacking on crackers and popcorn during the day and I need to cut out pizza entirely. We had pizza for dinner and I've already got heartburn. Hey, I've got over 15,000 steps on the Fitbit though. That ought to help.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2708

Each day is different. Sometimes Dot wakes up at 6 AM and is ready for a walk. Other times she doesn't kick into gear until after dinnertime. I can never figure out what to feed her. None of the things she ate yesterday interested her today. I couldn't get her to eat anything at all this morning. Dot wasn't even drinking water. This was alarming enough that I took her outside after making sure she'd taken her morning pills and fed her water through a syringe.

Things didn't improve when it was time to take her afternoon pills. Basically, I had to put each pill down her throat without any food, because she wasn't eating anything. The only thing I got her to eat was a small piece of banana bread. Certain smells trigger food memories and others don't. If Dot spits something out after chewing it for a while, she won't touch it again. It's almost as if the saliva from her mouth spoils the taste for her. We waste a lot of food this way.

I was thinking that Dot would have to survive on the Dogsure liquid supplement today when Janet came home from work with a new bag of sliced turkey breast. I think Janet planned on eating the turkey herself, but when she offered a piece to Dot, she snapped it up. Somehow the smell of this turkey jump started her brain and she started eating again. She ate most of the turkey in the bag and then proceeded to drink a lot of water. It was already 7 PM at this point. Once again Dot had come back from the brink.

Her legs seemed weaker than usual today, so we used the wheelchair for our evening walk. Some of our neighbors stopped us along the way and wanted to pet Dot. Everybody in the neighborhood knows Dot, but many people don't realize how fragile and weak she is until they see her in the chair. I've gotten so good at walking Dot using the Help 'Em Up Harness that it often looks like she is walking normally. Trust me, she isn't. On our way home this evening we were joined by a mom pushing her disabled son down the street in a wheelchair. We didn't say much, but I could tell by the way she looked at Dot that she understood what we were going through. Dealing with disability is difficult. I have tremendous admiration for parents who have to deal with a severely disabled child. I don't know where they get the strength.

When we returned from our short walk, Dot went to her bowl and ate some kibble. I felt relieved. We were good to go for another day. I wish each day wasn't a cliffhanger. Realistically, Dot can't go more than two days without eating food. There are many mornings when I think we have reached the end, but somehow Dot's always manages to rebound. I have to remember that a good day today isn't quite as good as a good day last month. We have been slowly sliding downhill for a long time.

Janet went back to the store and got some more sliced turkey breast in case she still has a taste for it tomorrow. Dot doesn't like salmon anymore, so I guess that's what I'll be having for dinner soon. Our refrigerator is rapidly filling up with things that Dot ate once but won't eat a second time.

We'll see how tomorrow goes. Since we got such a late start today, I have a feeling that I'll be taking Dot outside to pee in the middle of the night again.

Ziggy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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